Cunningham is a young crater on the western floor of the Caloris Basin, on Mercury. It is surrounded by a bright ray system.

Cunningham
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MESSENGER NAC image focused on Cunningham
Feature typeCentral-peak impact crater
LocationRaditladi quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates30°25′N 202°56′W / 30.41°N 202.93°W / 30.41; -202.93
Diameter37 km (23 mi)
EponymImogen Cunningham
Cunningham is the crater to the right, surrounded by bright rays

The crater's name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2008, shortly after its discovery on the first flyby of MESSENGER. It is named for the American photographer Imogen Cunningham.[1]

A confirmed dark spot is present in Cunningham crater.[2] This dark spot is associated with hollows.

References

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  1. ^ "Cunningham". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  2. ^ Zhiyong Xiao, Robert G. Strom, David T. Blewett, Paul K. Byrne, Sean C. Solomon, Scott L. Murchie, Ann L. Sprague, Deborah L. Domingue, Jörn Helbert, 2013. Dark spots on Mercury: A distinctive low-reflectance material and its relation to hollows. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets. doi.org/10.1002/jgre.20115